Charles Dickens: His Journal
Adapted from the works of Charles Dickens by Vincent Torre

Hardback - September 2010 ISBN: 978-0-8076-1604-8 $24.95

Why call Charles Dickens: His Journal a new book? Because it is adapted from the collected writing of Charles Dickens to paint a portrait of the celebrated writer as he might have been in his youth, and to tell a tale he never told. It offers not only colorful descriptions of the people and places that would later fill his novels, but a glimpse of his early experiences and the quick wits that helped him survive. For readers unfamiliar with the author’s work, this is a remarkable introduction to Dickens’s brilliant humor and to his indelible characters, who come to life as soon as we read their names. For Dickens enthusiasts, this is a smart, exhilarating romp through the pages of a timeless writer, celebrating caricatures and scenes too often overlooked. Can we believe what we read? According to Dickens, all of his tales are true reflections of life—fragmentary and tentative, and highly improbable. Over 100 period illustrations accompany the text throughout, depicting the London of Dickens in his early years, and presenting his characters as they appeared in the work of artists he inspired.

Vincent Torre is an author, designer and artist living in New York City. His books are in the collections of the New York Public Library, British Library, Yale Library, University of Sydney, Australia, and elsewhere.